Automatic port suspension for motion-picture-projection rooms



, W. F. HANS AUTOMATIC PORT SUSPENSION FOR MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION ROOMS Ij/l lI/II/I/IIIIIIII I 1!" Filed June 192s .4 v w w z wm m k 7/ m 5 m W 6 r L w k w a a f "m m g; m 5 W HI v u m o a, m

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AUTOMATIC PORT fiUSPEHSIQN FOR IHLGTION-PICTUEE-FROJECTION ROOMS.

Applicatien filed June 539, 1825. Serial No. 40,3571

The present invention relates to an apparatus for releasing the port shutters of a motion picture projecting room so that they close in case of fire, thereby preventing the smoke and flames from being seen by the audience and preventing a panic.

This is required by law in most States, but as there is no device of this nature on the market, it has been left to the ingenuity of the operator to rig up some device but in practice most of these devices do not actually work.

The department of labor and industry of my State specifies that a cord known as the master cord be run to each projector, the rewinder and end at the door of the projecting room. At each projector and the rewinder there is to be placed a loop of film to which the master cord is fastened so that in case of tire the film loop will burn and the master cord which was stretched tight beforehand will now slacken and release all the shutters at once.

As explained above, the manner in which the cord is run has been specified by law, and therefore my invention cons sts only of i he mechanism to which the end of the master cord is fastened so that in case it slackens all of the shutters will be released simultaneously.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the inter or of a projecting room with my invention indicated rather diagrammatically,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the invention,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view therethrough, and

d is another sectional view there through.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the projecting room 5 is provided with, the usual projecting openings 6 closable by suitable shutters 7 suspended by cords 8, ldy invention consists of a shaft 9 jonrnaled in brackets 10 carried in the room 5 and brackets 11 also mounted in the room and provided with U-shaped members 12 through the sides of which the shaft actually passes.

The intermediate portions of these U- shaped members are fixed to the bracket 11 by a suitable fastening element 13. A collar 1% is fixed to the shaft 9 by means of a set screw 15 or the like between the sides ofthe U-shaped member 12. A spring 16 is coiled about the collar 4 and has one end fixed as at 17 to one side of the member 12 while the other end of the spring is engaged with an arm 18 radiating from the collar 14 and terminating in a loop 19. The spring normally holds the arm in the full line position shown in Fig. 3.

Master cord 20 is fixed to'the looped terminal 1'9 and is trained over a pulley 21 jonrnaled between the sides of the member 12. When this master cord is taut, the arm 18 is disposed in the dotted line position as indicated Fig. 8. Thus if one of the film loops as mentioned above is burned, the master cord becomes slack and thus the arm 18 will move to the full line position shown in Fig. 3 and rotate the shaft 9.

A second collar 23 is fixed to the shaft 9 by. a set screw 2% and has extending therefrom a hook 25 for receiving the ring 26 of the cord 8. There may be several of these collars 23 and hooks 25 provided on the shaftas is indicated in 1. When the arm 18 is in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3 the hook is in the full line position shown in Fig. 4, but when the arm 18 moves to the full line position shown in Fig. 3, a hook moves to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4; and therefore will release the ring 26 so that the shutters 7 may close by their own weight.

lit- .is thought that the construction, operation, and advantages of this invention will now be clearly understood without a more detailed description thereof. The present embodiment of the invention has been dis closed merely by way. of example and in practice attains the features of advantage ennn'ierated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description.

It will be apparent that numerous changes in the details ofconstruction, and in the combination and arrangementof parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

A device of the class described for releasing the shutters of a motion picture room in order that they may close, wherein a master cord is normally held taut, comprising a U-shaped bracket, a shaft journaled through the U-shaped bracket, a collar on the shaft, and an arm extending from the collar and terminating in an eye for receiving the mas-; ter cord, a spring disposed about the collar having one end fixed to the bracket and the other end fixed to the arm, said master cord normally holding said spring under ten- 10 Will turn the shaft to a position so that the 15 member will be released from the hook.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM F. HAAS. 

